Lingonberry Spice Cold Process Soap

This Lingonberry Spice Soap has a rustic-chic look that’s perfect for the holidays and beyond. The bars have a white base and activated charcoal pencil lines. To make the top look festive, there are rose hips and dried leaves.

Of course, how the soap feels is just as important. The recipe is made with new lingonberry seed oil, which has a silky and lightweight texture on the skin. The soap also features skin-loving shea butter and cocoa butter.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, measure out 3 ounces of Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil and set aside.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.

Slowly and carefully add 7.8 ounces of lye to 15.6 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 3.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.

Melt and combine 2.8 ounces of shea butter, 7 ounces of canola oil, 1.1 ounces of castor oil, 2.8 ounces deodorized cocoa butter, 14 ounces of coconut oil, 2.8 ounces of lingonberry seed oil, 14 ounces of palm oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning), and 11.2 ounces of sunflower oil into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into the oils and use the stick blender to mix in the colorant thoroughly. Make sure there are no clumps.

Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a thin trace.

Add 3 ounces of Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil. Use the stick blender to stir in the fragrance and pulse sparingly.

Once the soap is thick enough to support layers on top, spoon ¼ of it (about 20 ounces) into the mold. Tap down, and use a small spoon to create peaks and divots down the length of the mold.

Very carefully, spoon a small amount of activated charcoal into the powder duster. Then, use your finger to gently “tap” the duster, allowing a small amount of powder to fall onto the soap. Working quickly but carefully, cover the soap with a thin layer of charcoal.

Use a spoon or spatula to plop another 20 ounces of soap into the mold, covering the charcoal layer below completely. Use a spoon to smooth out the layer and create peaks and divots. Lightly cover this layer of soap with activated charcoal.

Repeat this process with another 20 ounces of soap, and one more layer of activated charcoal.

Plop the remaining soap into the mold. Use a large spoon to evenly distribute the soap and create a smooth top.

Use a fork to create texture from one side of the mold to the other width-wise until you have covered the complete length of the mold.

Place dried rose hips in the center of the mold. Place them where you want the center of your bars to be. Where you place the rose hips will decide how big you’d like the bars. Then, place 1-2 myrtle leaves next to the rose hip.

Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. If you live in a very hot climate, place the soap in the fridge or freezer for several hours to prevent gel phase. If not, the soap can stay on the counter uncovered.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold, and cut into bars. Clean up the activated charcoal lines if necessary. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

14 Comments

Can this design be duplicated using melt and pour bases? I want to layer the soap with a charcoal or mica line between each layer. And is it at all possible to manipulate the melt & pour top after being poured……maybe let it harden a bit or something.The tops of m&p are boring, how can we liven it up? Can mica be sprinkled on top or glitter? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You can definitely give it a try. The layers may night swoop quite the same with melt and pour. MP soap tends to create sharper lines for layers but I think you could get really close.
My main concern is that the charcoal line will cause MP layers to separate more easily than cold process soap. To get a similar look but still may it look you could maybe make the top two layers one color and the middle layer a different color instead of the pencil line dividing them.

hello fellow soapmakers !
I want to use cayenne pepper in my next recipe. I know how HOT it can be on the tongue… so I know I have to be careful when I use it for soap. Any suggestions as to how much to use per pound of soap?

We haven’t tried using cayenne pepper in cold process soap since it could be a little irritating to the skin. I would start pretty low, maybe about 1/4 tsp per pound of soap, and make a small test batch to make sure you like the results.

Hi Anne Marie! Gorgeous Soap as always! What temperature did you soap at since you were using the higher butter content? I use shea and cocoa butters (12% total shea/cocoa of my recipe) and I struggle sometimes to find a good temperature. I have fluctuated temps between 110 down to 80, trying to find that good temp, especially so I can spend time on my designs. Thank you for any advice!

This is a great looking bar of soap as well as a great tutorial. I’m a very experienced soaper now, but so much of what I know, I learned here. It is so good to see and hear you actually talking and teaching what you are doing. Thanks!

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